User:Sebread/Evo (guitar)

New article name Evo (Guitar)

Evo is the popular nickname for the Ibanez JEM7VWH owned and played by American guitarist Steve Vai. It was co designed by Vai's and guitar manufacturer Ibanez in 1987. 'Evo' still retains identical specifications to the production model, with several aesthetic modifications.

Origins
When Vai was co-designing the JEM7 range of electric guitars, he was sent 4 identical production guitars by Ibanez. Vai installed one with pickups he was developing with DiMarzio, named 'Evolution', and decided to use the model as his main guitar. He nicknamed the guitar 'Evo' after the installed pickups, to help distinguish the guitar from the other production models.

Vai began playing 'Evo' just before the recording of his studio album Sex and Religion. In his own words, "She has been my main axe since".

Modifications
Surprisingly, Evo retains the models of

Recent and Present Day
Vai has used the guitar on a large number of his studio albums. It also has become his main guitar when playing live. 'Evo' is usually used in conjuction with it's sister guitar, 'Flo'. ('Flo' is essentially the same model as 'Evo', but with a Fernandez sustainer attached.)

Due to the guitars extended service to Vai, coupled with his aggressive playing style, 'Evo' currently suffers various, both aesthetic and structural (see modifications). Some of these are irreparable, and consequently Vai has resorted to playing 'Flo' more than Evo, to extend it's stage life. He also owns several backup guitars for use on tour.